2007

Info

Hormone may be new drug target for preventing lymphedema, tumor spread December 20, 2007 — A hormone secreted by cells throughout the body and known to play a role in cardiovascular disease and other cell functions is also critical for proper formation of the lymphatic system in mice, according to research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine.

Lifetime trauma may speed progression of HIV, early death November 5, 2007 — Even though effective drug cocktails have improved the outlook for many patients with HIV, disease progression, including the time from AIDS onset to death, varies widely from patient to patient. Now, a study led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine provides new evidence that psychological factors play a role in disease progression.

Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases aims to improve lives October 18, 2007 — The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has launched an Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases to extend and enhance ongoing research efforts to improve the lives of people around the world. The institute, based in the School of Medicine, will build on the University's current global health presence in about 50 countries.

Oliver Smithies wins Nobel Prize October 8, 2007 — Dr. Oliver Smithies, Excellence professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, is a co-recipient of this year’s Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine.

Defects in critical gene lead to accelerated lung tumor growth September 1, 2007 — Cancer causing mutations occur in our bodies every day – but luckily, we have specific genes that recognize these malignant events and keep cells from growing out of control. Only a few of these genes – called tumor suppressors – are currently known.

Total research revenues top $610 million August 17, 2007 — As federal funding for research stalls and competition for investment from other sources heats up, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has again grown its revenues. Growth hit 2.9 percent in fiscal 2007, putting UNC above $610 million in total grants and contracts. That’s $17 million more than last year’s record of $593 million, and more than twice as much revenue just 10 years ago.

North Carolina legislators establish University Cancer Research Fund August 8, 2007 — The North Carolina General Assembly created the state’s first University Cancer Research Fund with the passage of the new state budget. The fund, established to accelerate cancer research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Medicine and its Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, will provide $25 million in 2007-2008 and is slated to increase to $50 million per year beginning in 2009.

Strains of laboratory mice more varied than previously thought July 30, 2007 — A collaborative study by scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine, has found that the genetic variation in the most widely used strains of laboratory mice is vastly greater than previously thought.

2007 North Carolina Women's Health Report Card July 24, 2007 — The 2007 North Carolina Women's Health Report Card will be available for download beginning at 12:00 noon on July 25, 2007. Released every two years, the Report Card features up-to-date information on the health status and healthcare needs of North Carolina's 4.3 million women.

Sun exposure early in life linked to specific skin cancer gene mutation June 19, 2007 — Skin cancers often contain different gene mutations, but just how these mutations contribute to the cause of melanomas has been a mystery. A new clue comes from scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Schools of Medicine and Public Health. Their research indicates that early life sun exposure, from birth to 20 years old, may specifically increase the risk of melanomas with BRAF gene mutations.

Study implicates protein as a trigger of advanced prostate cancer recurrence June 4, 2007 — Scientists with the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have for the first time implicated a growth-promoting cellular protein as one trigger of the inevitable recurrence of advanced prostate cancer in men who are undergoing drug treatment to shut down their sex hormones, or androgens.

UNC’s Dr. David Grimes to be honored by Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists May 3, 2007 — David A. Grimes, M.D. will receive an honorary fellowship from the Faculty of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. The award, which is bestowed on persons of eminence who have rendered exceptional services to the science or practice of sexual and reproductive health care, will be presented to Grimes on June 21 at a ceremony in London, England.

Brain tissue reveals possible genetic trigger for schizophrenia April 8, 2007 — A study led by scientists from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill may have identified a molecular mechanism involved in the development of schizophrenia. In studying the postmortem brain tissue of adults who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, the researchers found that levels of certain gene-regulating molecules called microRNAs were lower among schizophrenia patients than in persons who were free of psychiatric illness.

Pisano: MRI urged for women with recent breast cancer diagnosis March 28, 2007 — Women with a recent diagnosis of cancer in one breast should have MRI screening of the opposite breast, concludes a multi-center study involving University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers. Dr. Etta Pisano, Kenan professor of radiology and biomedical engineering at UNC and a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center co-authored the study.

UNC and GE Healthcare partner to create Center for Research Excellence in Breast Cancer Imaging March 14, 2007 — The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill announced a multi-year agreement with GE Healthcare to establish a Center for Research Excellence in Breast Cancer Imaging within the university’s Biomedical Research Imaging Center. This is a university-wide center for excellence created to advance and commercialize research and technological developments to detect, diagnose and treat breast cancer.

Industry-funded breast cancer trials more likely to yield positive results March 5, 2007 — Industry-funded studies of breast cancer therapies are more likely to report positive results than non-pharmaceutical funded studies, researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute have found. In addition, significant differences exist in the design and nature of clinical trials supported by the pharmaceutical industry compared to trials without industry involvement.

Results from autism genome scan may lead to improved diagnosis and treatment February 26, 2007 — Preliminary results from the largest genome scan ever attempted in autism research were published online Feb. 18 by the journal Nature Genetics. The results identify new potential pathways involved in autism susceptibility, said Dr. Joseph Piven, professor of psychiatry in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and director of UNC’s Neurodevelopmental Disorders Research Center.

Newborn brains grow vision and movement regions first February 22, 2007 — The regions of the brain that control vision and other sensory information grow dramatically in the first few months following birth, while the area that controls abstract thought experiences very little growth during the same period, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers have found.

Brain bleeding common in newborns, UNC study finds February 6, 2007 — A brain development study in newborns revealed intracranial hemorrhages or bleeding in and around the brain, affects 26 percent of babies born vaginally, according to researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Efficacy similar among antidepressants, side effects drive multiple prescriptions February 1, 2007 — A review of 293 studies that assessed 12 commonly prescribed second-generation antidepressants found no significant differences between the drugs for the treatment of acute-phase depression, according to a report by the RTI International-University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Evidence-based Practice Center.

High doses of lithium-like drugs may impair neuronal function January 17, 2007 — New laboratory research suggests that lithium and other drugs that inhibit a particular enzyme, GSK-3 beta, should be used with caution in treating Alzheimer's disease because too high a dose can impair, rather than enhance, neuronal function.